Distributor units are known, which feed one or more blister strips by means of transfer channels, below which the blister strips slide.
A distributor unit by the Applicant is also known, which uses a rotating disc to feed a blister strip which translates along a direction tangent to said disc.
Although such distributor units allow to obtain high delivery rates, there is a constant request from the market to increase the productivity of these machines.
This has led the Applicant to study, experiment and achieve a new type of distributor unit, the first purpose of which is to obtain a greater productivity compared with that obtainable with distributor units of the known type.
WO-A-2008/049119 discloses an apparatus to package loose food products such as sweets, candy, chewing gum or similar, which are printed without contact with an edible ink. The apparatus comprises a contactless printer, a closed-ring rotating conveyor made to rotate by pulleys and a belt-type packaging formed by compartments, such as cups, recesses, blisters, into which the products are unloaded and positioned. A hopper is provided which feeds the products haphazardly onto an upper segment of the closed-ring path of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt comprises blind pockets, that is, closed at the lower part, which receive and support the products fed by the hopper. The pockets have a pre-established depth, which depends on the type of product they receive. An aligner device is provided to correctly position the haphazard products into said pockets on the upper segment of the closed-ring path of the conveyor belt. Moreover, guides are provided disposed externally along an arc of a circle of the path of the conveyor belt around the pulleys, which, also closing the pockets at the upper part, keep the products inside the pockets until the products are upended and reach, in the lower segment of the closed-ring path of the conveyor belt, the position in which they are unloaded into the compartmentalized package, downstream of which a sealing device is provided. This known apparatus, however, is bulky and costly, and is also limited in its fitting possibilities and of adapting to the type of tablet, due, for example, to the provision of blind pockets with a fixed depth. It is also limited in its possibility of adapting to the type of blister strip.
Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a compact distributor unit, which allows to reduce bulk and production costs and which guarantees uniformity and reliability of production.
It is also a purpose to obtain a distributor unit which is easy to maintain, fit and adjust both to the type of tablet and also to the type of blister strip.
It is also a purpose of the invention to make a distributor unit which is efficient and versatile, so as to be usable for a wide range of products and a wide range of desired productivity.
Another purpose is to guarantee a constant high qualitative and quantitative delivery.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.